1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improvement of a needle guard, a capped needle guard, and a guarded winged needle assembly for attaching and protecting a winged needle assembly such as PSV (Pediatric Scalp Vein) or AFV (Arteriovenous Fistula) used for dialysis, fluid and/or blood infusion, and so on, and an improvement of protection ability, stability, and operationality of the above-mentioned needle assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the rapid spread of infectious diseases such as viral hepatitis and AIDS through infected medical needles used for carriers"" blood and/or fluid infusion, the greatest care must be given in medical facilities to avoid infection from accidental needle sticks by workers engaged in blood infusion and dialysis and to protect environmental pollution by infected and contaminated needle disposal.
For example, cylindrical or tapered caps for winged needle assemblies or medical needles for blood collection are used for protection of needle tips when stored. These caps are also used for safety when discarding needles after use. However, these needles with blood are so extra-fine that accidental needle sticks by workers trying to attach such caps and needles with their hands often happen due to fine visual errors. Meanwhile, disposal of needles without such caps induces a great risk of accidental needle sticks with contaminated blood by waste disposal workers. These practices are not acceptable.
As a result, different types of needle guards to securely retract medical needles after use are suggested. They are normally cylindrical and retract needles by sliding needles in the needle guards. They are composed in the way that needles can be both exposed and retracted by sliding. These guards for winged needle assemblies should be especially composed in the way that wings do not interfere slides of the needle guards.
U.S. Patent Numbers given to Utterberg U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,112,311, 5,433,703, 5,562,636 and 5,562,637 are the examples of such needle guards. These patents disclose inventions comprising a slit to lock a pair of wings of a winged needle assembly on each sidewall of the needle guards, slidably locking the wings after use according to locations and shapes of the slit, and retracting a needle in the needle guard.
However, these inventions are not satisfactory and have a room for further improvement about (1) easiness and stability to attach needle guards to winged needle assemblies, (2) operationality when inserting guarded winged needle assemblies to patients, and (3) operationality when shielding needles after use.
The inventors of the present invention proposed a new needle guard with a pair of protruded wings on both sides of a body (Patent Publication No. 2001-327599 (P2001-327599A)). A winged needle assembly after use is retracted in the above-mentioned needle guard, the wings are bended upward, and locked with stoppers in the wings. The winged needle assembly does not protrude from the needle guard.
But the presence of a tube connected to the support of the winged needle assembly makes it difficult for the needle guard to firmly retract and lock the needle inside the guard.
An object of this invention is to provide a needle guard which is attached to a winged needle assembly with a tube, and which enables to lock the needles safely and securely within the guard.
Another objects of this invention will be detailed hereinafter.
(Needle Guard)
(1) This invention provides an elongated cylindrical needle guard for attaching and protecting a medical needle to which a tube is connected, which comprises:
a cylindrical body consisting of a front portion 2, a body 3 and a rear portion 4;
an aperture 5 at the bottom of the body 3;
at least two or more projecting portions 7a, 7b, 7c on the top wall of the cylindrical body from the front portion 2 to the rear portion 4;
a slit 9 at the bottom of the rear portion 4 along a longitudinal direction of said needle guard; and
a groove 22 for fixing the tube on the top of the rear portion 4; and
projecting portions 23a, 23b facing to each other at the back of said groove 22.
(2) This invention provides a needle guard 1 according to the above (1), wherein
a cutout portion 22a in said projecting portion 7c is formed in upwardly-widened tapered shape.
(Capped Needle Guard)
(3) This invention provides a capped needle guard 71, wherein
a cap 18 is detachably attached to the front portion 2 of said needle guard 1 according to the above (1) or (2).
(4) This invention provides a capped needle guard 81, wherein
a cap 28 is integrally molded via a rim 28a with the front portion 2 of said needle guard 1 according to the above (1).
(Guarded Winged Needle Assembly)
(5) This invention provides a guarded winged needle assembly 1A, 21A, 31A, wherein
said needle guard 1 according to the above (1) or said capped needle guard 71, 81 according to the above (2) or (3) is attached to a winged needle assembly 10.
(6) This invention provides a guarded winged needle assembly 1A, comprising:
a winged needle assembly 10, in which a needle pin 12 is attached to the front portion of a support 13, to which a pair of wings 14 is attached on both sides of the support, to which a needle cap 16 is attached on the front outside surface of the support, and to which a tube 15 is connected on the rear outside surface of the support; and
a needle guard (1) according to the above (1) or (2) which is slidably mounted on said winged needle assembly 10; wherein
in a situation that said winged needle assembly 10 is attached and retracted to said needle guard 1 through an aperture 5 and a slit 9,
the outside surface of the needle cap 16 is attached to the inside surface of the front portion 2;
said winged needle assembly 10 is fixed to said needle guard 1;
the needle pin 12 is shielded in the needle cap 16;
the needle pin 12 of said winged needle assembly 10 is exposed by uncapping the needle cap 16;
the needle pin 12 of said winged needle assembly 10 is retracted into said needle guard 1 by sliding said winged needle assembly toward the rear portion 4 of said needle guard 1; and
the tube 15 is fixed into a groove 22 through projecting portions 23a, 23b facing to each other by backwardly pulling it and lifting it up; there by
said winged needle assembly 10 being kept not to slide toward the front portion 2 of said needle guard 1 and the needle pin 12 of said winged needle assembly 10 being kept not to be exposed from said needle guard 1.
(7) This invention provides a guarded winged needle assembly 21A, 31A, comprising:
a winged needle assembly 10, in which a needle pin 12 is attached to a front portion of a support 13, to which a pair of wings 14 is attached to both sides of the support, and to which a tube 15 is connected to the rear outside surface of the support; and
a capped needle guard 71,81 according to the above 3 or 4 which is slidably mounted on said winged needle assembly; wherein
in a situation that said winged needle assembly 10 is attached and retracted to said capped needle guard 71, 81 through an aperture 5 and a slit 9;
the front outside surface of the support 13 is attached to the inside surface of the front portion 2 of said capped needle guard 71, 81;
said winged needle assembly 10 is fixed to said capped needle guard 71, 81;
the needle pin 12 is shielded in said capped needle guard 71, 81;
the needle pin 12 is exposed by uncapping said capped needle guard 71, 81;
the needle pin 12 of said winged needle assembly 10 is retracted into said capped needle guard 71,81 by sliding said winged needle assembly 10 toward the rear portion 4 of said capped needle guard 71, 81; and
the tube 15 is fixed into a groove 22 through projecting portions 23a, 23b facing to each other by backwardly pulling it and lifting it up; there by
said winged needle assembly 10 being kept not to slide toward the front portion 2 of said capped needle guard 71, 81 and the needle pin 12 being kept not to be exposed from said capped needle guard 71, 81.
(Needle Guard)
(8) This invention provides an elongated cylindrical needle guard 1 for attaching and protecting a medical needle to which a tube is connected, comprising:
a cylindrical body consisting of a front portion 2, a body 3 and a rear portion 4;
an aperture 5 at the bottom of the body 3;
a pair of stoppers 58 on both sides of the body 3;
thick portions 58b on each of the stoppers 58; and
locking portions 58c on the back of each of the thick portions 58b for locking wings 14 of a winged needle assembly 10.
(9) This invention provides the needle guard 1 according to the above (8), further comprising a pair of second stoppers 68 on both sides of a rear portion 4.
(10) This invention provides a needle guard 1 according to the above (8) or (9), further comprising a groove 22 for fixing the tube on the top wall of the rear portion 4.
(11) This invention provides a needle guard 1 according to the above (10), further comprising:
a cutout portion 22xe2x80x2a at the back of the groove 22; and
a narrow portion 22b between the groove 22 and the cutout portion 22xe2x80x2a. 
(12) This invention provides a needle guard 1 according to any one of the above (8) to (11), further comprising:
projecting portions 7a, 7b on the top wall from the front portion 2 to the body 3;
a slit 9 at the bottom of the rear portion 4 along a longitudinal direction of said needle guard.
(Capped Needle Guard)
(13) This invention provides a capped needle guard 71, wherein
a cap 18 is detachably attached at the front portion 2 of said needle guard 1 according to any on of the above (8) to (12).
(14) This invention provides a capped needle guard 81, wherein
a cap 28 is integrally molded via a rim 28a with the front portion 2 of said needle guard 1 according to any one of the above (8) to (12).
(Guarded Winged Needle Assembly)
(15) This invention provides a guarded winged needle assembly 1A, 21A, 31A, where in
said needle guard 1 according to any one of the above (8) to (12) or said capped needle guard 71, 81 according to the above (13) or (14) is mounted on the winged needle assembly 10.
(16) This invention provides a guarded winged needle assembly 1A, comprising:
a winged needle assembly 10, in which a needle pin 12 is attached to the front portion of a support 13, to which a pair of wings 14 is attached on both sides of the support, to which a needle cap 16 is attached the front outside surface of the support, and to which a tube 15 is connected on the rear outside surface of the support; and
a needle guard 1 according to any one of the above (8) to (12) which is slidably mounted on said winged needle assembly 10; wherein
in a situation that said winged needle assembly 10 is attached and retracted to said needle guard 1 through an aperture 5 and a slit 9,
the outside surface of the needle cap 16 is attached to the inside surface of the front portion 2;
said winged needle assembly 10 is fixed to said needle guard 1;
the needle pin 12 is shielded in the needle cap 16;
the needle pin 12 of said winged needle assembly 10 is exposed by uncapping the needle cap 16;
the needle pin 12 of said winged needle assembly 10 is retracted into said needle guard 1 by sliding said winged needle assembly 10 toward the rear portion 4 of said needle guard 1; and
locking portions 58c are locked to tips of the wings 14; there by
said winged needle assembly 10 being kept not to slide toward the front portion 2 of said needle guard 1 and the needle pin 12 of said winged needle assembly 10 being kept not to be exposed from said needle guard 1.
(17) This invention provides a guarded winged needle assembly 21A, 31A, comprising:
a winged needle assembly 10, in which a needle pin 12 is attached to the front portion of a support 13, to which a pair of wings 14 is attached on both sides of the support, and to which a tube 15 is connected to the rear outside surface of the support; and
a capped needle guard 71,81 according to the above (13) or (14) which is slidably mounted on said winged needle assembly 10; wherein
in a situation that said winged needle assembly 10 is attached and retracted to said capped needle guard 71, 81 through an aperture 5 and a slit 9;
the front outside surface of the support 13 is attached to the inside surface of the front portion 2 of said capped needle guard 71, 81;
said winged needle assembly 10 is fixed to said capped needle guard 71, 81;
the needle pin 12 is shielded in said capped needle guard 71, 81;
the needle pin 12 is exposed by uncapping said capped needle guard 71, 81;
the needle pin 12 of said winged needle assembly 10 is retracted into said capped needle guard 71,81 by sliding said winged needle assembly 10 toward the rear portion 4 of said capped needle guard 71, 81; and
locking portions 58c are locked to tips of the wings 14; there by
said winged needle assembly 10 being kept not to slide toward the front portion 2 of said capped needle guard 71, 81 and the needle pin 12 of said winged needle assembly 10 being kept not to be exposed from said capped needle guard 71, 81.
(18) This invention provides a guarded winged needle assembly 1A, 21A, 31A according to the above (16) or (17), wherein
the pair of wings 14 are crosswardly locked between the stoppers 58 and the second stoppers 68 by folding or bending the wings 14 upwards.
(19) This invention provides a guarded winged needle assembly 1A, 21A, 31A according to any one of the above (16) to (18), wherein
the tube 15 are fixed in the groove 22 from the cutout portion 22a to the narrow portion 22b by backwardly pulling the tube and lifting it up.
(Protection Guard)
(20) This invention provides a protection guard 91 for the needle guard 1 according to the above (1) or (8), comprising
a front attachment portion 91f and a rear portion attachment portion 91b on both sides of plate 91a, respectively, wherein
said front attachment portion 91f and said rear portion attachment portion 91b are attached to the front portion 2 and the rear portion 4 of said needle guard 1, respectively; there by
the aperture 5 at the body 3 of said needle guard 1 being covered to cover the needle and the support of said winged needle assembly.
(21) This invention provides a protection guard 92 for a needle guard 1 according to the above (1) or (8), comprising
a front attachment portion 92f on a plate 92a; and
said front attachment portion 92f is attached to the front portion 2 of said needle guard 1, wherein
a portion of the aperture 5 at the body 3 of said needle guard 1 is covered by the plate 92a so that at least the needle is not exposed.